Summer Movies

It has been a busy summer, but we managed to fit in a few movies over the past couple of weeks and Luz and James recently weighed in on their favorites.

James picked Madagascar 3 as his front runner - something about the gigantic bear on the trike and then the Ducati and a little ditty that he cannot get out of his head called Afro Circus.  The Madagascar foursome is up to its usual madcap adventures and the penguins are there at every twist and turn. Much like the other two Madagascar movies, it does not disappoint.  It is a nice, entertaining, and cool 1.5 hours of fun for you and your family, so check it out.

Luz picked Brave as her front runner and I cannot blame her, what is not to love about an independent, stubborn young girl who rides horses and shoots a bow and arrow. The animation is incredible (it is the first time Pixar has used a new animation technology and there are parts of the movie that are so vivid the animation looks real).  The story is a slight departure from the normal Disney cartoon fare in that there is no prince charming.  The only love story is one between a mother and her daughter, one I think every daughter and every mother will relate to.

As between Madagascar 3 and Brave, Brave wins in my book, but I also have to consider Hunger Games (which I LOVED, I really did, and not just because Lenny Kravitz is in the movie - although that was a big selling point) and What to Expect When You are Expecting (which was awful - but, yeah, I knew what I was getting into).  And I also have to consider the ones I have not yet seen but will  catch on the big screen - Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom is going to blow me away - I can feel it already when I watch the trailer - I don't know what it is that he does but when I watch his movies I feel like I have been gingerly dropped right smack dab in the middle of some incredible storybook and there is this awesomeness all around me.  Oh, and one more little treat...plans are already in the works to see this little gem next week and it just might blow all of the other contenders out of the water:

7 Years

Luz turns 7 next Tuesday and I really cannot believe it and do not even know what to say other than, "wow, how did thaaaaat just happen...did you see that...seven years just passed, count them - 1, 2, 3...yeah, I know, it happened right in front of my eyes, while I was paying attention and everything."  My celebration is a little early but I am leaving town and sort of on vacation and blogging will be even trickier than usual and for once it feels nice to do something ahead of time.

Lucy always asks me to play the little photo/video I put together earlier this year when James turned 3.  She has a great appreciation for history and a mind that relishes the details.  I knew I needed to do the same thing for her, but the task was daunting - 4 different cameras, three different computers, seven years of photographs, countless memories - where does one begin...I took a stab at it and, let me tell you, unless you went to school for this sort of thing or had some sort of training or lots and lots and lots of free time, it is hot and sweaty work.  Consequently, the end result is not exactly what I had in mind and does not come close to capturing the joy and wonder of the last 7 years, but I did the best that I could with a limited skill set.  The result is not unlike most endeavors in my life (much like anyone that is spread a little too thin) very B+, but it makes me smile and at the end of the day it is for Lucy anyway, just to be sure that she can see everything that I got to see over the last 7 years and maybe one day understand this incredible, bottomless pit of love in the heart of a mother.

Here's to you Luz...on your 7th birthday:

Little Mommy

I LOVE Golden Books...they remind me of being a little kid.  We must have had a great collection when I was little because when I read them to Luz and James I have little hints of deja vu and become nostalgic.   I remember something about all of those precious bunnies sleeping in a chest of drawers, the story of Sailor Dog, little bear's antics before bed, and Dr. Dan and Billy from one of my favorites, Little Mommy.  Do you remember this one:

Luz loves this one.  While Sailor Dog is easily James' favorite one out of the collection, Luz has always enjoyed Little Mommy and practically has the book memorized.  She loves it so much, in fact, that she acted out scenes from it the other day.  James is such an eager participant in all of her 'games' and never minds being bossed around....Luz is lucky, at least for now.   She pretty much feeds him his lines and waits for him to repeat them back to her.  In this particular game he had to play both Dr. Dan and Billy, in addition to playing the part of ASM...an exhausting task.

Salad Days

I have the privilege of being married to a school teacher (yep, that's right, one month at Christmas, a week at Mardi Gras, spring break, and 104 days of summer vacation...no, it's cool, really) and having kids, so my life will always revolve around the school seasons, for better or worse.  I get to feed off of their excitement and sense of relief, at least a little.  But meanwhile, nothing much has changed for me, I am still stuck in the same old same old, the usual routine - alright, maybe there is a little pep in my step without the added burden of lunches and laundry and homework and clean uniforms.

Our summer so far has been lovely...filled with day camps and late nights and skipped baths and trips to the farmer's market and ice cream and trip planning and lots and lots of sunshine...

And yeah, I know, James has disappearing eyes and a bad haircut. I have no idea why his eyes disappear when he smiles...need to work on that...and the bangs, 100% my fault...I couldn't take the incessant scratching of the forehead and rubbing of the eyes...I did it and Aunt Sue will fix it in a week (please?).

Taking A Breath

A friend of mine lost her 21 month old daughter last week due to an awful set of circumstances that could happen to any child.  It is breaking my heart into a million tiny pieces, as if I needed another reminder about how none of this is within our control and that it is okay, inevitable even, to love deeply, but with that comes immense, crushing sadness...one day.  It is enough to make me not want to get out of bed, to roll into a ball and shut it all out; this is nothing new.

I do not do any of that though, of course not.  I am a human.  We are made to be resilient.  We can do the stiff upper lip thing.  We can redirect and remember that what we have is precious and that we have to love big and with all of our heart every single day.  I just hate that these reminders come at a very big price.

...loving every single bit of these two...and hopefully teaching them to do the same: